HUTTO, Texas -- When road and commercial construction forced the relocation of the practice facility at the highly regarded Golf Club at Star Ranch in this burgeoning suburb north of Austin, general manager Ricky Heine didn’t have to look far to find an expert to construct a new – and even better – place for golfers to hone their skills.

Heine called Roy Bechtol, the course's Austin-based architect, to talk about where they would have to move the range, and in the past eight months Bechtol has fashioned a practice facility that has become the envy of other golf courses across the nation.

“I've sent pictures of the new range to friends of mine at places like Baltusrol in New Jersey and Olympic Club in San Francisco, and they've responded that they only wish that they could have a facility like this,” Heine said. “Roy's passion for excellence and golf is vividly present in this new practice facility.”

Star Ranch will pull back the curtain on its new 12-acre practice facility June 27 from 5-8 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at 6 p.m. to be attended by Bechtol and the mayor of Hutto as well as other dignitaries.

Star Ranch's new driving range and short game area has 55,000-square feet of teeing area, six target greens, five bunkers, two chipping greens and rolling terrain for every golf shot in the bag. It is beautifully contoured and lushly landscaped with native gulf muhly, Mexican feathergrass and different native salvias and includes a new putting/chipping green with all conceivable angles, lies and grass heights to simulate real on-course situations.

“Ricky and I talked and walked and looked around and came up with what I think is the coolest practice area around,” said Bechtol. “With all the landscaping, rock walls, target greens, bunkers and contours, this will be a fun place to practice.”

“I've known Roy for a very long time, and I knew he would come up with something really special when we asked him to do this work for us,” Heine said.

The Golf Club at Star Ranch is an 18-hole facility in Hutto that features 7,017 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 71. The course rating is 73.8 and it has a slope rating of 131 on Bermuda grass.

Designed by Bechtol with help from Carter Morrish and Randy Russell, Star Ranch opened in 2001 on the former site of the Timmerman Ranch, where cattle once grazed in a location that just a short few years ago was nothing but sweeping hills and pasture land. The course follows the natural rolling contours of the land, using a central lake and prevailing wind to create an experience both formidable and fun.

Heine, who is also president of the national Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America (GCSAA), is stoked about his new facility.

“It looks really nice,” Heine said. “We had to angle it slightly toward the eighth green and more parallel to the ninth fairway, which posed some safety concerns, so we had to put in a fence along the right side and behind the range. Augusta National has one, so I don't feel so bad about having a fence here. Our members and guests have been peeking over the fence every day, they can't wait to get on this new facility and start improving their games.”

About Bechtol Golf Design
Bechtol Golf Design has designed more than 50 golf courses throughout the United States either as the lead architect or as a collaborator with other golf course designers. Led by its principal, Roy Bechtol, Bechtol Golf Design combines cutting-edge technology with creative, traditional design practices to determine the best possible plan for golf course communities.
Upcoming projects include courses in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains near Vail, in the Texas Hill Country along the upper banks of Lake Travis and on Mustang Island on the Texas coast.

Bechtol Golf Design’s completed projects, both in partnership with former team member Randy Russell and via its continuing relationship with World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite, include:
The Waterford Club (Smithwick, Texas)
Gaillardia Country Club (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
The Club at Comanche Trace (Kerrville, Texas)
Legends on Lake LBJ (Kingsland, Texas)
Riverplace Golf Club (Austin, Texas)
The Golf Club at Somersett (Reno, Nevada)
The University of Texas Golf Club (Austin, Texas)
The Golf Club of Texas (San Antonio, Texas)
The Golf Club at Star Ranch (Hutto, Texas)
Black Bear Golf Club (Delhi, Louisiana)
ShadowGlen Golf Club (Manor, Texas)
The Ambush at Lajitas (Lajitas, Texas)
ConCan Country Club (North Uvalde County, Texas)
Saddle Creek (Copperopolis, California)

Media Contact:
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